


The Will to Remember

by killianscolin



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Captain Swan - Freeform, Disney World, F/M, OUAT - Freeform, Snowing - Freeform, captain swan is the main ship, i'm bad at tags lmao, pan's curse, probs some fluff, snow/charming - Freeform, some oq if you squint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:14:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22516861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killianscolin/pseuds/killianscolin
Summary: When Regina changed Pan's curse to take the inhabitants of Storybrooke back to the Enchanted Forest, something went wrong. Instead of taking them back to their home, the curse took them to Orlando, Florida. Or more specifically, Walt Disney World.Now living in New York City, Emma Swan decides to surprise her son, Henry, with a surprise trip to Disney World for this 13th birthday. When the mother and son arrive in the Magic Kingdom, something seems eerily familiar about the characters that they meet there.What will happen when Emma and Henry meet these familiar faces? Will the others be able to wake them up in time to defeat whatever villain is out to get them now? Or will the former inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest be trapped forever?What will it take for Emma's family to give the savior the will to remember?
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones & Emma Swan, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Comments: 23
Kudos: 40





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone! So I actually started writing this story about three years ago on Wattpad, but I stopped writing it pretty soon after I started. I'm gonna try really hard to keep up with it now, but I'm editing the content a little bit to make it a bit better since I wrote it a while ago. I hope you all like it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update this! I had a lot of family issues going on, and unfortunately wasn't able to write at all over the past couple months. But now since we're in quarantine, I have a lot of spare time when I'm not doing schoolwork, so I'm hoping to be able to work on this a lot. It's a prologue of sorts because I really just used it to set up the scene and give some basic background info on Emma and Henry's story thus far! I hope you like it!
> 
> Also, if you're reading this and considering commenting something rude, please keep in mind that I am not a professional writer. I'm in college to become an English teacher, so my writing is a definite work in progress and it's improving every day, so please either be kind in the comments, or don't say anything at all. Thank you.
> 
> Enjoy this prologue to The Will to Remember!

“Hey, kid, time to wake up.”

“Ugh, mom, it’s so early.” Henry looked over to his clock and read the time. **8:15.**

“I know, kid, but we gotta get going. We have a plane to catch,” Emma smiled at her son.

“What? Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise. Now c’mon, get up. We have to leave for the airport by 11:00 and we both still have to pack.”

Henry groaned and laid back down forcefully. “I’ll get up in like five minutes, mom. I promise.”

“Ok, but if I come back in here in thirty minutes and you’re not even out of bed yet, I’m not gonna be a happy camper,” Emma warned.

Emma proceeded to go back to her room, beginning to pack. She had been planning this surprise for a little bit over a year now, and she was so excited to see Henry’s reaction.

Emma had Henry when she was only 18 years old, not to mention while in jail. They’d lived their lives somewhat comfortably, but they’d never been able to afford huge, grand vacations together. One day, Emma decided to start saving up her spare change so that she and Henry could eventually go on a lavish vacation together, and she knew exactly where she was going to take her son. _Disney World._

Ever since Henry was able to read, he had been _obsessed_ with fairy tales. He absolutely loved them, and he talked non-stop about how much fun it would be to take a week-long trip to Disney World. But, as most people know, a week in Disney World is radically expensive, especially if you want to be able to have the ideal “perfect” Disney World experience. Including grand hotel rooms, amazing souvenirs, perfect food, etc. Up until about the last six months, Emma could definitely not afford that kind of trip. It took her _years_ to be able to save up enough money for the trip, and she was beyond excited to finally be able to surprise her son with the vacation of his dreams.

Emma took a quick shower and put on a light face of makeup before she went to make sure Henry was awake. Shockingly, Henry was actually out of bed and pulling clothes out of his closet in an attempt to pack.

“So, where are we going?” Henry asked his mother. “And before you say, ‘It’s a surprise!’ please keep in mind that I need to know where we’re going so I can pack accordingly.”

“We’re going somewhere very warm, so pack summer clothes. It’s gonna be hot pretty much the entire time we’re there. And it’ll also probably rain, so pack a raincoat. And comfortable shoes. There’s gonna be a lot of walking. Also, I wasn’t kidding about leaving at 11. You need to be showered, packed, and completely ready to walk out the door no later than 10:45 so we can catch a cab.”

“Ok, mom. I’ll be ready, I promise.”

The pair continued to pack for their trip in their own separate rooms, Henry calling out a question to Emma every once in a while. Emma finished packing first, going into the kitchen to make some breakfast for the two of them. She called Henry into the kitchen at around 9:30 to eat, and they both ate together. After they ate, Henry quickly went back to packing as Emma cleaned the dishes and went to get dressed. She threw on a light grey tank top and some black athletic shorts before lacing up her light blue tennis shoes. It was only 10:00, so she went to see how Henry was doing.

“Hey, kid you done packing yet?”

“Yeah, mom, I’m about to go jump in the shower and then I’ll get dressed and be ready to go!” He said excitedly.

“Alright, kid, well I’ll be in the living room whenever you’re ready and we can head out!”

She headed back into the kitchen, pouring her third cup of coffee for the morning. She sat down at the table and grabbed her laptop out of her carry-on, deciding to do some last-minute checks before they left for the airport. When they arrived in Orlando, they would get on a shuttle that went to directly to their hotel. She desperately wanted to be able to stay in the Grand Floridian for the week, but it would’ve taken her decades to save up enough money to stay there for seven entire nights. Instead, she decided that the Caribbean Beach Resort was perfect for them because, while it wasn’t her ideal price range, it was worth it to make Henry happy.

Emma checked on all of their reservations and bookings, making sure that everything was perfect. At around 10:40, Henry came bounding into the kitchen, yelling that he was ready to leave. Emma laughed at her son and they both gathered up all of their things, walking out of their apartment at exactly 10:43. She raised her hand to call a cab, and one pulled over pretty quickly.

After they loaded their luggage into the cab, they were on their way to the airport.

Upon arriving to the airport, Emma and Henry got all of their bags checked in and walked quickly to their gate. They arrived about thirty minutes before boarding, so Emma bought them some snacks for the flight.

Henry looked at the sign at their gate, which read _Orlando, FL_. He excitedly turned to Emma with wide eyes. “Mom, where are we going?”

Emma laughed and told him, “We’re going to Disney World, kid.”

“Are you serious? Because this is absolutely not something to mess around about,” Henry warned.

She laughed again, “I’m definitely not kidding, kid. We’re going to Disney.”

“Oh my gosh, Mom, I love you so much!” Henry exclaimed, throwing his arms around her waist.

“I love you too kid, that’s why we’re doing this.”

Henry’s smile never left his face as they boarded, or even after he fell asleep on the plane. When they landed, they patiently waited until it was their turn to exit the plane. As planned, they collected their checked bags and boarded the shuttle to their hotel.

Emma got them all checked in while Henry explored the lobby of the Caribbean Beach Resort.

The receptionist was extremely kind and helpful to Emma, and she was able to get the mother and son checked in less than 5 minutes. Emma received her key, and she and Henry headed up to their room.

The room was absolutely gorgeous. It had a nautical theme, the bedframes made of wood and carved to look like a pirate ship, a helm carved into the headboard. It made Emma feel cozy.

She and Henry ultimately decided that they both just wanted to stay in and explore the hotel a little bit that night, rather than go to a park or to Disney Springs. They ordered room service and browsed the TV to find something to watch.

They also decided to go to sleep pretty early so they could get up in time the next day to get to the park early.

Emma and Henry headed to bed after exploring the hotel, both of them going to sleep excited to spend their day together in the Magic Kingdom the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I know that it's pretty short, but it is a prologue, so it was just meant to kinda set up the story with some more details! The upcoming chapters will definitely be longer. As of right now, my main goal is to post every weekend with at least one new chapter! I'm not sure how many chapters this whole thing will be, but we'll see as we go! Thank you so much for reading! And thank you for your love and kind comments on the summary chapter that I posted. There were a couple of unnecessary and rude comments, but I appreciate those of you who were kind in the comments!


	2. Familiar Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it took a bit longer to get this chapter up! I had a bit of a crazy week! I'm going to try really hard to get another chapter up by next weekend, but my finals week is coming up really soon so I'm pretty busy with that at the moment. For right now, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Emma woke up at around 6 AM to get ready to go to the Magic Kingdom for the day. She took a quick shower before waking Henry up.

“Hey, kid. You gotta get up and get ready,” she told her son. Henry groaned and rolled over in bed. “I know it’s early, bud, but it’s Magic Kingdom day and if you want to have as much time as possible in the park, you need to get up now.”

“I know, I know. I’m up,” Henry said sleepily, sitting up in bed and turning on the lamp. “What time are we leaving?”

“We’re gonna call a cab, and it’ll probably take like 20ish minutes for us to get there, so we need to leave the room at like 7:15 to have a small chance of beating the huge lines at the gates. That gives you like 45 minutes to get ready.”

“Alright, yeah, I’m definitely up,” Henry laughed.

Emma laughed and headed back into the bathroom to do her makeup. She knew she’d probably be sweating later in the day, so she decided to skip doing a full face of makeup. She put small amounts of concealer under her eyes, some winged liner on her lids, and finished off the simple makeup with some mascara and lip gloss.

In the meantime, Henry got dressed, since he had showered the night before. He was beyond excited to get to the Magic Kingdom for the day, so he managed to get ready in under thirty minutes. After that, he decided to ask his mom what the plan for the week was, since they hadn’t talked about it the night before.

“So, Mom, what’s the plan for this week? We never really talked about it yesterday.”

“Well, today, obviously we’re doing the Magic Kingdom. We’ll stay for as long as you want, although I’m really hoping that we’ll both make it through the whole day to see the fireworks.”

“Oh, trust me, I want to stay for the fireworks too,” Henry assured his mother.

“Ok, good,” she smiled. “And honestly, kid, there’s not a super structured plan for the week. We have one-park-per-day tickets, so we can just kinda decide as we go, I think. When we get back to the hotel every night, we can just see what we’re feeling for the next day. The only thing that I’m sure of is that we will definitely be going to Magic Kingdom more than once, because there is just too much stuff there to do it all in one day.”

“I agree, I agree,” Henry smiled.

“Great, well then, I’m ready. Are you?”

“I am.”

“Then let’s get out of here and have the most magical day ever,” Emma smiled, ruffling her son’s hair with her hand.

The duo went through the lobby of the hotel to get their cab in the parking lot. Emma had called one before they went down to the lobby. Their cab was waiting for them when they walked out, so they hopped in and were headed straight for the Magic Kingdom.

The cab ride lasted about thirty minutes, since they hit some traffic, but they reached the Transportation and Ticketing Center before 7:45. Emma and Henry went straight to the monorail and were able to get on right when they reached the platform. They reached the park entrance about seven minutes later, and Henry all but ran to the lines at the gate.

As they got their bags checked and scanned their tickets, Henry and Emma became increasingly excited to enter the park. Ever since she was a little girl, Emma had dreamed of the moment that she would see that castle for the first time, and it was finally happening. While this vacation was mostly for Henry, many of Emma’s childhood dreams were coming true.

At 8:00 AM, the Disney Cast Members dropped the rope to open the park, and Emma and Henry were in the first fifty people to enter the park. Henry was immediately in awe as he walked under the bridge into the park. The sights and smells of Main Street USA flooded his senses, and he just stood in silence, taking it all in. Even Emma was a bit emotional in their first moments in the park.

The mother and son pair walked down Main Street, eventually turning the corner to reveal Cinderella’s Castle. They were both in absolute awe. The castle was so much more beautiful than they had ever imagined. Even in pictures online, the castle just looked so much more magical in person, and Emma couldn’t help but tear up a little. Her childhood dreams were finally coming true.

“It’s more magical than I ever even thought, Mom,” Henry said, a huge smile splitting his face.

“I know, kid, me too,” Emma smiled back. “So, I say that we go ahead and hit the rides before anything else, while the lines are somewhat shorter. They say you should start in the back and work your way up.”

“I’m good with that.”

“What do you want to ride first?”

“Umm, I really think that I wanna ride Peter Pan’s Flight first. I know that it’s kinda lame, but it’s one of the most popular rides, and the wait time gets crazy as the day goes on. I also just really like Peter Pan. I just feel a kind of connection to him, I can’t explain it.”

“Alright, kid, we can definitely ride that first,” Emma smiled at her son.

They headed straight to Fantasyland and into the line for Peter Pan’s Flight. The wait time was thirty minutes, which is not terrible for a ride with its popularity status.

After they rode the short attraction, Henry was happier than Emma had seen him in a long time. As they were walking away from the ride, Emma was too busy paying attention to her son’s happiness to pay attention to her own feet, and ultimately tripped herself. She fell to the ground and two people immediately came to her rescue, Henry, and a strange man dressed in a pirate costume.

“Woah, love, you alright there?” the strange man asked, voice heavy with a British accent. The voice sent shivers down Emma’s spine.

“Um, yeah, I’m ok. Thanks, um…” Emma trailed off, taking in the man’s attire. She saw a flash of emotion wash over his face. In the span of a second, she saw realization, panic, and pain run across his face.

He recovered quickly and took a small, yet overexaggerated bow. “The name’s Hook, love.”

“Ah, ok. As in Captain Hook?”

“Oh, so you’ve heard of me,” Hook smirked.

Emma rolled her eyes and took a closer look at the man. She could see that underneath the waxed mustache and perm, he was actually quite attractive. He had beautiful blue eyes, a perfectly straight nose, and beautiful pink lips. He was very attractive for a man who played such a heinous character. He also felt very strangely familiar, but Emma couldn't figure out why.

“Speaking of which, you seem very familiar. Have we ever met?” Emma asked him.

“I’m fairly certain that I’d remember meeting a lass as beautiful as yourself. Have you ever found yourself in Neverland?”

She smiled lightly at his ability – and obligation – to not break character. “I can’t say that I have.”

“Well then I guess I’ve never had the pleasure,” he said, almost sadly.

“Well, now you do have the pleasure. I’m Emma. And this is my son, Henry.”

“Ahoy, captain. I’m kind of a big fan,” Henry smiled

“It’s very nice to meet you, Henry, and Emma, however, I must be going now. I have a ridiculously annoying flying child to chase down,” Hook smirked.

“It was nice to meet you, Hook,” Emma smiled back.

“Perhaps our paths will cross again someday soon. Do you visit this kingdom often?”

“I wouldn’t say that we visit _often_ , but we’ll be visiting this enchanting realm again sometime in the next week.”

“Well then, lass, I hope to see you again soon.”

“You’re pretty nice for a villain,” Emma joked, raising an eyebrow at the man.

“I may be prickly, but I can be warm and fuzzy with those I choose. I must be going now, Emma. Henry, behave well and respect your mother, lest you be dragged off to Neverland to become a member of my ruthless pirate crew,” Hook smiled lightly.enryHhhhdfishfsiashdbbdsjsdbhdjbds He motioned for Emma’s hand and she placed her palm against his. He pressed his lips to the back of her hand, keeping direct eye contact while doing so. Emma watched intently as Hook dropped his hand and went on his way.

He waved his hook at a small child as he walked by her and she looked absolutely terrified. Emma smiled fondly. She felt strange. Why was she so fond of a man she'd just met? She felt as if she had met Killian somewhere before.

Little did she know, she had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know that Captain Hook is usually a costume character at Disney and not a face character, but I have seen some Hook's be face characters on rare occasions, so this is going to be one of those occasions! For the sake of the story, I had to make him a face character, but again, I have seen Hook as a non-costume character a few times in the parks! 
> 
> Please do leave your constructive criticism in the comments, because I am always looking to improve! Just remember to please be kind and not be too harsh!


	3. How to Save the Savior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So just a few things to address before you read - 
> 
> 1\. I know that in the original timeline of the show, Pan's curse only lasted a year, but in this story, they've been trapped for two years. I can't really explain why I chose to make the curse longer, but I just felt like that's how I wanted this story to play out, so yeah.  
> 2\. This chapter is extremely dialogue-heavy, but it honestly needed to be that way to really drive the point of this chapter forward.   
> 3\. Also, it's addressed in this chapter, but I'll explain a little bit more. Everyone that was in Storybrooke at the time of Pan's curse is now in Disney World - scattered among the 4 parks - BUT not everyone that works at Disney World is from Storybrooke. Basically, there are normal, non-magical people that work in the parks that are completely unaware of the curse.  
> 4\. Lastly, everyone who came from Storybrooke CANNOT leave the park in which they "work." It's very similar to the town line in Storybrooke. Residents of Storybrooke can't go farther than the entrance to their park without consequences. 
> 
> With that being said, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

“Emma’s here,” Killian blurted out as he entered the break room.

“What?” David – Prince Charming – exclaimed.

“Emma, your daughter, is here. As is Henry. I suppose they wanted to visit the magical Walt Disney World,” Killian said with the wave of his hand.

“Does she remember?” Charming asked.

“If she did, wouldn’t you think she would be here with me now? No, she doesn’t bloody remember. She said I looked familiar, but other than that, she didn’t say anything of importance.”

“How is Henry?” Regina inquired, finally speaking up. “Does he seem happy?”

“Yes your Majesty, he seems quite pleased with his life,” Killian assured.

Regina smiled gently and addressed Killian with a curt nod of her head.

“So, how do we get the savior to remember?” Snow White asked the group.

“Well, with the Dark One gone, we have no access to magic – ironically enough. So, we can’t make a memory potion,” Regina explained.

“So we’re hopeless. Wonderful,” Killian sighed.

“Not necessarily. Sure, we can’t make a potion but there are other ways to bring back one's memories,” Regina answered.

“Have you not learned by now that we are never hopeless? You think that after two years being stuck with us, you’d have learned that,” Snow smiled.

“After being a pirate for centuries, hope can be a difficult concept to fully grasp.”

“Well,” Regina started, “we need to figure this out, so get to thinking about how we can solve this problem.”

The group sat in silence as they thought through their predicament and attempted to come up with a solution.

“Wait, Snow, didn’t you drink a forgetting potion and forget about Charming at some point?” Regina asked.

“Yes, I did! I completely forgot about that.”

“How did you remember him?” Killian inquired.

“True Love’s Kiss. Well, it didn’t work at first. Charming kissed me, but since I didn’t remember him, it didn’t work. But he kept trying. In the end, it took him nearly dying for me to remember. After I saw what he was willing to do for me, I was willing to remember our life together. I kissed him, and my memories of us together came flooding back.” Snow smiled and Charming looked at her fondly.

“Wait, so you’re telling me that in our two years in this cursed land, you two haven’t shared a single kiss?” Killian gaped.

“No, of course we have,” Snow stated. “The kiss won't work between us because we’re both cursed. It needs to be between you.”

“Me? I don’t think I understand.”

“You and Emma have to share True Love’s Kiss,” Regina said. “Of course.”

“As much as I would enjoy that, your Majesties, Emma and I aren’t even romantically involved, much less capable of True Love and all that.”

“I know True Love when I see it, Killian. I also know my daughter, especially her walls. You and Emma share something special.”

“Alright, fine, let’s go down this road for a moment. According to what the two of you experienced, I have to nearly die for Emma, then kiss her – hoping that we are indeed True Love – for her to _maybe_ remember?” Killian asked. “I’m sorry, but that seems far too risky. Don’t get me wrong, I would gladly give my life to save Emma’s, but if I actually die, you all risk being stuck here forever. Is it worth that risk?”

Snow smiled at him. “You don’t necessarily have to nearly die for her. I think that as long as Emma is _willing_ to remember, True Love’s Kiss _can_ work. When I remembered Charming, I remembered because I was willing. When he nearly died for me, I realized that nobody had ever been willing to die for me before. I realized the life he was talking about sounded way better than the one I was living, so I had that will to remember. I kissed him willingly, and my memories came back.”

“So what must I do to make Emma willing?”

“Try to tell her about her old life. Don’t mention the whole fairytale part, of course, or she may think you’re insane,” Snow instructed.

“I fear she may think I’m mad either way.”

“You could tell it to her as if you’re telling a story. Her story. Maybe even your story. In the end, mention something about her being able to have the life you described. Ask her if she would want that life, and if she says yes, there’s her willingness,” Regina suggested.

“That could work. So, I have to tell Emma of our lives before, hoping that she wants to return. Even if True Love’s Kiss does work, she would be so angry if I put this kind of pressure on her. Being forced into True Love with the man she’s been avoiding for the few years we’ve known each other? I fear she may have a breakdown.”

“Hook, stop feeling so sorry for yourself,” Regina snapped. “She doesn’t hate you, but you’re right. She may not be so fond of the pressure. Even so, you still need to try. If she acts the way you’re expecting, just explain that you had to do it for the good of the town – or park, I guess. Anyway, you have to at least try. For us, for Henry, and for her.”

“Ok, I suppose I do have to try. But how? I can’t exactly reach out to her. It’s not like I got any kind of contact information, and I can’t even leave the park.”

“Did she mention anything useful when you talked to her? What park she was planning on visiting tomorrow or the next day? We can reach out to the Cast Members at the other parks to keep an eye out for her,” Regina suggested.

“She did mention that she plans on returning to the Magic Kingdom before she and Henry leave to go home. She said that it would be within the next week.”

“Ok, so we all need to keep an eye out for her for at least the next week. If anyone sees her, tell your attendant to page me. Then go to her and strike up a conversation and try to keep it going until I can get there. I’ll get someone to cover my shifts for the next week so I can just sit in the breakroom and be ready to get her,” Regina instructed.

“What’s your plan after you get to her?” Charming asked.

“I’ll tell her that there’s some kind of promotion going on. She got picked at random to go to a pre-paid dinner at Be Our Guest, as well as a VIP tour around the park. Killian, you’ll be her guide around the park, and her guest for dinner. I’ll tell her that she must be with a Cast Member or she can’t get the dinner or the tour.”

“And what about Henry? Will he come to dinner with us?”

“Yes, but when you are about to tell Emma the story, let Henry know that there’s a special show in the next room over where he can meet Belle and the Beast – again, for free. If Emma wants to go with him, tell her it’s kids only. I’ll seat you right next to the entrance to that room so Emma can see him come and go safely.”

“Ok, it sounds like a plan,” Killian agreed.

“Also, if she asks you about being Hook and having met you before, remember Character Integrity. You can’t tell her that you’re Captain Hook. Just act like you’ve never met, ok?” Regina told Killian.

“Yes, your Majesty. I shall ensure that my integrity remains intact,” Killian winked in response.

Regina rolled her eyes and looked at Snow and Charming. “You two tell as many of our people as you can what the situation is so that they’re on the lookout for Emma too. The more people we have looking, the faster we’ll find her.”

“We’re on it,” Charming affirmed.

“And what about Henry?” Killian asked. “He’ll be needing his memories as well.”

“Let’s worry about Emma first. We can deal with Henry later.”

“Yes, your Majesty.”

“Awesome. Well then, people, let’s give the savior the will to remember and get the hell out of this damn park,” Regina smiled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter! Again, I'm sorry that it was so dialogue-heavy, but I felt like this chapter really needed to be that way. 
> 
> Just like in the last chapter, please do leave your constructive criticism in the comments, because I am always looking to improve! Just remember to please be kind and not be too harsh!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Tale as Old as Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Also, just as a heads up, it's my finals week this week, so I'll try really hard to find some time to get the next chapter done by next weekend, but I honestly can't promise anything! If I can't get a new chapter out by next weekend, I'm really sorry and I'll make it up to you!
> 
> I hope you all like this chapter!

Emma and Henry visited the other three parks over the course of three days before deciding that they wanted to go back to the Magic Kingdom. Emma couldn’t deny that she was looking forward to seeing a certain pirate when she and Henry returned to the Magic Kingdom.

“I know that face,” Henry teased.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Emma argued.

“You’re excited to see Captain Hook.”

“Oh, please, kid. What are you even talking about?”

“You can try to deny it all you want, Mom. I know that you’re excited to see him,” Henry smirked.

They left their hotel to head to the Magic Kingdom at around 7:00 AM so that they could get to the park extra early. Right after rope-drop, the mother and son tried to ride all of the rides that they didn’t get to on their first day in the park. Eventually – at around 11:00 AM – they made their way back to Peter Pan’s Flight. From a distance, she saw Hook kneeling down talking to a small child, who looked like he was having the best day of his life.

Emma and Hook met eyes and he gave her a small smile. Emma couldn’t help but smile in return. She and Henry stood near the entrance to the ride for a few minutes while Hook finished his conversation with the small boy.

Hook stood up and started to make his way over to Emma and Henry. “Hello, love. And hello, lad,” he smiled at the pair.

“Hey, Hook!” Henry said excitedly.

“Hello, Hook,” Emma smiled lightly.

“I’m glad that you two decided to come back and visit our Kingdom.”

“Me too!” Henry exclaimed. “There were so many things we didn’t get to do when we were here earlier this week.”

“That’s wonderful, lad. I’m glad to hear it. I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but if you’ll give me one moment, I need to go speak to my friend about a rather urgent matter,” Hook told Emma.

“Are you ok?” she asked in response.

“Aye, lass, I’m perfectly alright. The sun is just very aggressive today, and I’m afraid I’m quite parched.”

Hook walked swiftly over to his character attendant, asking her to page Regina immediately. After taking a quick drink of water, he made his way back over to Emma and her son.

“Sorry about that,” he smiled softly.

“Hey, it’s no problem. Dehydration is a nasty thing,” Emma assured.

“That it is, lass. So, how has your day been in this magical kingdom of ours?”

“It’s been great!” Henry said excitedly. “We’ve ridden so many rides so far and we’ve eaten so much amazing food! This has been the best week of my life!”

“I’m so very glad to hear that, Henry. And what about you, Emma? Have you had a magical day?”

“I’d say it’s getting there,” Emma smiled softly.

“Well, hello there!” Regina exclaimed, walking up to the trio.

“Um, hi. Do I know you?” Emma asked her.

Regina sighed. “No, ma’am, you don’t know me, however, I hope I’m about to make your day much better!”

“Oh?”

“You and another guest of your choice have been randomly selected to be a part of a new promotion here in the Magic Kingdom! My name is Regina and I’m in charge of making sure that everyone who visits our kingdom has the most magical day of their lives. Today, we are offering you – and one guest of your choice – the once in a lifetime opportunity to get a private VIP tour of the park, as well as a pre-paid dinner at the restaurant Be Our Guest!”

“Woah, no way! Mom, the reservation list at that place is like two years long!” Henry said excitedly.

“Indeed it is, dear. As I said, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you and your son. So long as you agree to accept. If not, I completely understand,” Regina smiled.

“What do you say, kid?”

“Are you kidding? Let’s do it!”

“Alrighty then, the kid has spoken,” Emma smiled at Regina. “We accept the offer. Thank you so much.”  
“Of course, ma’am. As I said, it’s in the job description. There is, however, a catch. You and your son must be accompanied by a Cast Member at all times during your tour – including dinner.”

“I think that’s more than fair,” Emma assured.

“Wonderful! Let me just go and fetch your guide. I shouldn’t be more than 15 minutes. If you’ll just wait here, I’ll bring them right out!”

“Great, thank you,” Emma smiled. “So, Hook, looks like my day just got a whole lot better.” When Emma turned to address the pirate, he was gone. “That’s weird.”

“I guess he snuck off while we were talking to that lady,” Henry said, disappointment evident in his voice.

“I’m sorry, kid. Maybe he was late for a meet-and-greet or something.”

“It’s ok, Mom. I know that they have a schedule around here. I just hope that we’ll see him before we leave tonight.”

“I’m sure we will, Henry.”

Emma and Henry waited for around twenty minutes for Regina to get back with their tour guide. Eventually, the pair saw the woman approaching, followed by a man wearing a red, green, and blue plaid vest over a white button-up, a blue tie, and navy pants.

“Hello again! This is your tour guide for the day,” Regina smiled.

“Hello. It’s my pleasure to show you two around the park today. My name is Killian Jones.”

“Um, hi,” Emma responded.

“Well, I’ll let you three get on your way. Enjoy your tour and have a magical day!”

“So, are we just gonna act like we don’t know each other?” Emma asked Killian.

“I’m not sure I know what you mean, milady. I don’t believe we’ve ever met,” he smirked.

“Yeah, ok, sure.”

Killian smiled slightly at Emma before turning to her son. “Hello, lad. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Hi! My name’s Henry, although I’m pretty sure you already knew that.” Henry leaned in closely and whispered to Killian, “I may not be an adult yet, but I am old enough to know that you’re the guy who plays Captain Hook.”

Killian laughed lightly. “Well, while I myself am not the infamous Captain Hook, I am glad to say that Hook is a very close friend of mine. And yes, I did know that your name is Henry, but solely because the Captain has taken quite a liking to the two of you. He told me all about you.”

“Did he now?” Emma asked the man.

“He did indeed. Now, shall we get started on our tour? Our dinner reservations are at seven o’clock sharp, and we definitely don’t want to miss them.”

“Well then, let’s get going. We’ve not a minute to lose!” Henry exclaimed.

Emma and Killian smiled at one another, and the group way on their way. Over the course of about six and a half hours, Killian was able to get Emma and Henry onto nearly every ride in the park. At around 6:30, they began to make their way to Be Our Guest.

When the trio arrived, they were immediately seated at their table. Their pre-paid meal came with an appetizer, an entrée, – drinks and sides included – and a dessert of their choice.

Once Henry had finished his entrée, Killian informed him that Belle and the Beast would be making an appearance in the next room over.

“Ooh, that sounds fun, kid. I’ll go with you,” Emma smiled.

“I’m afraid that the show is children-only. They won’t allow adults to enter the room,” Killian told her.

“So you’re telling me that parents just let their kids out of their sight to go into a random room where the only supervision is provided by strangers?”

“The room is made of glass, love. The walls are all windows, and everyone can see into the room as the show is happening. The room is directly to your right.”

Emma looked to her right and saw that Killian was telling the truth. The room was made completely of windows and she could see the Cast Members setting up for the next show. A few eager children were already sitting, waiting for the show to begin.

“Ok, then. Yeah, kid, you should go. It’ll be fun.”

“Ok! Thanks, Mom!”

Henry stood up and walked into the room, sitting down next to a kid who looked to be about the same age.

“The ‘adultlessness’ gives the kids a sense of freedom and independence. From the inside, the windows are mirrors. It also gives the parents the chance to enjoy their dinner together,” Killian explained to Emma.

“Ah, I see. Sorry I was rude about it before.”

“I understand, love. We must go to extreme lengths to protect our children.”

“Do you have kids?”

“Alas, I don’t. However, there was once a boy who I cared for after the death of his parents. He and I were very close, and for a while, it looked as if we were going to be a proper family.”

“What happened to him?”

“He slipped away. I tried to go after him, but a few years later, he suddenly passed away.”

“Oh my God, Killian. I’m so sorry,” Emma told him, placing her hand over his on the table. She noticed his lack of a left hand, as he had a plastic prosthetic where his real hand should be. However, she knew that this was not the time to address that.

“It’s alright, love. He lived a hard life. I’m glad to know that he’s in a better place now.”

Emma smiled lightly at him before asking, “So, I have a secret. I’m pretty good at knowing when someone is hiding something from me. What’s the real reason for sending Henry in there? I know it wasn’t just for him to have a good time.”

“Honestly, I was hoping that I could tell you a story. If you’re willing to listen.”

“Sure, I love a good story.”

“Well then, settle in, love. This one’s quite a doozy.” Killian cleared his throat dramatically before beginning. “Once upon a time, there lived a princess and her prince. Their names were Snow White and Prince Charming.”

“Wait, isn’t Prince Charming supposed to be from Cinderella?”

“I didn’t write this story, so you’ll have to take that one up with the author, love,” Killian winked. “Anyway, after years of fighting to be with one another, Snow and Charming finally got their happy ending. Or so they thought.”

“Ooh, the plot thickens,” Emma joked.

Killian rolled his eyes and let out a small laugh before continuing, “On their wedding day, just after the ‘I do’s,’ the Evil Queen interrupted the ceremony. She threatened to destroy the happiness of all of Snow and Charming’s people. You see, when Snow was just a child, she accidentally told a secret that got the Evil Queen’s true love killed. She blamed Snow White for the destruction of her own happiness.”

“But I thought that true love could never be separated.”

“Ah, love, that would be soulmates. You can have more than one true love. For instance, you could have a true love who is your child, or another relative, while also having a significant other that is true love. True love is a condition of the hearts of two or more individuals, soulmates are a tethering of souls.”

“Ok, gotcha,” Emma smiled. “Sorry, I’m being really rude. I’ll stop interrupting. Promise.”

Killian smiled back at her before – once again – continuing with the tale. “After their wedding, and the Queen’s threats to their people, Snow and Charming did everything that they could to find a way to defeat her. Every time that they found a way, the Queen found a way to stop them. After several months of trying and failing, Snow discovered that she was pregnant. She and her prince did everything possible to protect their child from the threats of the Queen. Eventually, they went to Rumplestiltskin for help. He was the most powerful being known to the Enchanted Forest.”

“Wait, hold up. That little impish thing that can spin straw into gold?”

“I seem to recall you promising not to interrupt anymore,” Killian smirked.

“You remember correctly. I was just curious.”

“Well, yes, the little impish thing that can spin straw into gold is indeed Rumplestiltskin. Now, Swan, may I continue?”

Emma drew in a sharp breath and Killian realized what he had just said. “What did you just call me?”

“I’m sorry, love. It just – it slipped.”

“But how did you know that?” Emma asked, a slight tinge of fear lining her voice.

“How did I know what?”

“My last name is Swan. How the hell did you know that? I never told you.”

“I – I didn’t know, Emma.” Killian struggled to quickly find a solution to this problem. His eyes found her necklace – the one that Neal gave her – with a swan emblem on its pendent. “Your necklace has a Swan on it. I’m not sure why that inspired the nickname, but it did. I thought that it suited you.”

“Oh,” Emma breathed a sigh of relief. “I was like really scared that you’d been stalking me or something.”

“No, Emma, I would never,” Killian assured.

“I know, it’s ok. I believe you. Again, I’m sorry for the rudeness. I just – well A) I thought you were stalking me, but also, someone used to call me that. A long time ago.”

“I’m truly sorry, Emma. I meant no harm.”

“It’s alright, Killian, really. It’s just, ever since I got here, I’ve just _known_ that you remind me of someone, and I just figured it out.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. The guy who used to call me that, his name was Charles. You remind me so much of him,” she smiled fondly. “He was British, had dark hair and the bluest eyes, and he always called me Swan.”

Killian looked at her sadly. “What ever happened to him?”

“I’m not sure,” Emma said with a confused look on her face. “It’s kind of hazy. The last thing I remember of him is him saying goodbye and that not a day would go by that he wouldn’t think of me.”

Killian drew in a sharp breath. Some of her memory had remained intact. She remembered him. Well, some of him. But why did she remember him as Charles? How was it possible that she remembered him at all? Killian was drawn from his own thoughts by the sound of Emma’s voice.

“Hey, Killian. You alright?”

“Aye, love, I’m fine. Just lost in my own thoughts, I suppose,” he smiled softly.

“Oh, am I boring you?” Emma joked.

“Not at all, darling. I was just thinking of some old memories. Your tale of your Charles brought back some memories of my own. Speaking of tales, how about we return to mine?”

“I would love that. I promise to try my absolute best not to interrupt. But I’m not promising that it won’t happen eventually.”

Killian smiled and continued his story. _Their_ story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to get a new one out sometime in the next week!
> 
> One small note about this chapter, I've never actually been to Be Our Guest, so I'm not sure if the whole "glass wall room" exists IRL, but for the purpose of the story, it does.
> 
> I hope you all are staying safe and healthy during this pandemic!


	5. True Love's Kiss Can Break Any Curse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Things moved a little more quickly than I was expecting, but I honestly really liked where this chapter went!
> 
> Just a small note to address: in traditional folklore, Rumple's name is spelled Rumpelstiltskin, but in OUAT - specifically on the dagger - it's spelled Rumplestiltskin, so that's the spelling I'm sticking with for this story.
> 
> Enjoy!

“So, as I said,” Killian resumed, “Snow and Charming went to Rumplestiltskin to ask him for help with the Queen’s threats. They wanted to know what she was going to do to them and their people, and how to stop her. He told them that the Queen would cast a terrible curse. A curse that would take them to a new land. A land without magic. In this new land, they would forget who they truly were, and they would be separated from their loved ones. He also told him that their unborn child was the kingdom’s best chance. She would be the savior. On her 28th birthday, she would find them and save them from the Queen’s curse. And he was right. Twenty-eight years after the curse was cast, she came to a small town called Storybrooke, where all of the people of the Enchanted Forest were taken in the curse. Time was frozen in the little town. Nobody had aged a day since the curse struck. When the savior arrived, time started to move forward once again. However, she refused to believe that it was her destiny to break the curse. She felt as if the responsibility was being thrust upon her, and she didn’t want it.”

“Wait, ok, I’m sorry. I know I said I wouldn’t interrupt anymore but I’m confused. If all of these people didn’t know who they were, then who told her that they were cursed?” Emma asked.

“Her son informed her of her fate. He had read a storybook with the stories of the Enchanted Forest. He knew that his mother was the savior that Storybrooke needed. Unfortunately, his mother had given him up for adoption. He was adopted by Regina, the Evil Queen, and he lived in Storybrooke. Which is how he knew of the curse. When he discovered the tale of the savior, he ran away to find her. He was successful, and he brought her back to Storybrooke.”

“So he was in Storybrooke and he was aging, but everyone else didn’t, and nobody noticed?” Emma asked confusedly.

“Aye, love, I suppose this story does have a few plot holes. But, alas, let us continue,” Killian told her. “After a while, and a lot of convincing, the savior finally started to believe in her destiny and she broke the curse, with the help of her son. For her entire life, she thought that she was an orphan. She had always believed that her parents abandoned her because they didn’t want her. But when she broke the curse, she finally found them. Snow White and Prince Charming.”

“So, what happened after she broke the curse?”

“The savior went on many adventures with her family. She and her mother ventured to the Enchanted Forest, though it was an accidental trip. They eventually returned to Storybrooke, where she had to save the town yet again from a vicious foe. Time and time again, she saved her people from countless villains. And eventually, she and her family found themselves in Neverland. They were on a mission to rescue her son. You see, in this story, Peter Pan is the villain. He was an evil little bugger who didn’t care what he had to do to get what he wanted. Anyway, the heroes eventually succeeded in their mission and returned to Storybrooke. However, unbeknownst to them, Pan returned with them. When he arrived, he cast yet another curse. A curse to make everyone forget who they were once again, and they would become his servants. Luckily, before the curse hit, Regina – formerly the Evil Queen – changed the curse to save everyone, and Pan was defeated.”

“Wait, so the Queen’s a good guy now?”

“Aye, love. After many years of trials and errors, the Queen was able to put her past behind her and create a fresh start. She went on to be quite the hero.”

“So, the end?”

“Well, not technically. The story continues to this day.”

“What happened next?”

“The people of Storybrooke were once again trapped, but they retained their memories. They were ripped away from Storybrooke and taken to another land and cursed for another 2 years before the savior once again returned to them. However, she did not have her memories of her time in Storybrooke.”

“Did she ever break the new curse?”

“Not yet.”

“What do you mean ‘yet’?”

“This tale is still happening in real-time, love,” Killian explained gently.

Emma laughed, but Killian’s face remained serious. “Wait, you’re not joking?”

“I’m afraid not, Emma.”

“So you’re trying to tell me that this is a true story?” She asked. Killian nodded slightly. “Ok, well I definitely do not believe you.”

“Well, what if I were to tell you that you’re a part of this story?”

“I’d tell you you’re insane,” she said seriously.

“Then call me mad, because you’re the savior, Emma.”

Emma stared at him with wide eyes. Of course, she was finally showing interest in a guy and he turned out to be a total nutjob. “This isn’t funny. I’m really kinda getting concerned here. My son has talked to me about this kind of stuff before, but you’re a grown man, Killian. You can’t believe this stuff.”

“Use your superpower, then. See if I’m lying,” he smirked. Emma looked at him with wide eyes. “That’s right, love. I know about that. You have to believe me, Emma. Your family needs you.”

“My family is Henry. He’s all I need,” she told him firmly.

“I know that you think you were abandoned, Emma, but you weren’t. When Regina recast Pan’s curse, she messed up and all the people of your parent’s kingdom were sent here. We’ve been trapped for two years, not knowing what to do, and then one day, you and Henry just happen to come here.”

“My parents? Their kingdom? A curse? In real life? Do you know what you sound like?” Emma scolded him.

“Like a madman, I’m sure. But it’s true. Your parents need you, and you’re the only one who can save them. I can prove it to you. Neal, he was in Storybrooke with us.”

“What did you just say?” she asked, her eyes widening in fear.

“Neal, Henry’s father, was in Storybrooke at the time of the curse.”

“How do you know about him? I was right, you have been stalking me.” Emma quickly began to stand to her feet, ready to grab Henry and get the hell out of there.

“Emma, please, don’t,” Killian begged. He grabbed her hand and she looked into his eyes. They were filled with so many emotions all at once. Fear, panic, longing, desperation, the list goes on. It almost made her believe him. Slowly, she sat back down in her chair and – not so discreetly – gripped the butter knife that was resting on the table.

“He was with us in Storybrooke. He was with us in Neverland. How could I know who he is if my story isn’t true? I haven’t been stalking you, Emma. I know it may be hard to believe, but I give you my word.”

“Just because you believe something, that doesn’t make it true.”

“Aye, love, I believe that’s exactly what makes it true. However, you don’t have to believe me. But I beg you, please just do two things for me, and if they don’t work, I will leave you alone and stop pestering you about it.”

“What two things?”

“For starters, just be willing to remember your old life. Please. If you are willing to remember, you will. Just think of what I’ve told you. You’re a hero, Emma. You have a family who loves you, parents included. Perhaps there’s even a man that you love in the life that you’ve lost.”

“Listen, that life sounds incredible. I was alone for so many years, and Henry and I have been through hell. I am more than willing to remember that and for this to be true, but that does not make it real.”

“That brings us to the other task you must complete.”

“And what would that be?”

“True Love’s Kiss. It can break any curse.”

Emma scoffed. “Yeah, sure. Who’s gonna kiss? Me and you?”

“I’m afraid so, love.”

“Great. Kiss the crazy guy.”

Killian sighed. “I’m not crazy, Emma. You said yourself that you are willing to remember.”

“I just met you, Killian. I’m not just going to kiss you because you’re telling me to. You cannot force me into something I don’t want.”

Killian thought for a moment and recalled the breaking of the first curse. Emma kissed Henry’s forehead and it worked. Perhaps it could work for them as well. “I’m not trying to force you into anything. If you’ll allow me, a simple kiss on the forehead will do. If it doesn’t work, I’ll never bother you again. You can leave the park and you will never have to see me after tonight.”

Emma laughed. “This is ridiculous.”

“Please, Emma. One kiss on the forehead and it’ll be over. But you absolutely must be _willing._ Willing to remember that life, or it will not work.”

Emma sighed deeply. “Fine. After Henry is done with the show, I’ll get him to go somewhere for a second so you and I will be alone. Then, you do your _thing_ , I guess, and we’ll be done. No second chances. You get one kiss. I can’t believe I’m even doing this, but _if_ you’re telling the truth, that life sounds pretty awesome.”

“I understand, Emma. Thank you,” Killian smiled softly at her. She smiled firmly in return.

For about five more minutes, they carried a somewhat awkward conversation before Henry returned to the table. Henry quickly ate his dessert before the trio left the restaurant.

“Hey, kid,” Emma said to Henry. “Why don’t you hit the bathroom before the fireworks? I’m not gonna want to move once they start if you have to go.”

“Ok, mom.”

Henry raced over to the nearest bathroom and Emma looked at Killian. “You probably have like less than two minutes. We both know there’s not a line in the bathroom and Henry pees fast.”

“Aye, love, I’m sure you’re right. Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

Killian carefully stepped closer to Emma and she slightly lowered her head. He moved forward even more and took a deep breath. He was absolutely terrified that it wouldn’t work. She and Henry would leave the park and likely never return. He would never see her again, not to mention the fact that he and the residents of Storybrooke would be stuck forever. Nevertheless, he leaned in and pressed a soft, yet firm, kiss on Emma’s forehead.

There was no _whoosh_ of magic across the park. There was no rainbow light that emitted from his lips.

 _It didn’t work_ , Killian thought. _It didn’t bloody work_. He felt as if his heart had dropped into his stomach, as Emma pulled away slowly.

She looked up at Killian with wide eyes. “Hook?”

“Do you remember?” he asked, his eyes widening quickly.

“Yeah, I-I do.”

Killian let out a laugh like Emma had never heard from him before. He picked her up and spun her around in a hug before placing her back on the ground. His smile was so big that his face had practically been split in half.

Emma looked at him and smiled. _She remembered._ In that moment, Emma wasn’t quite sure if she was relieved or dreadful. Sure, she loved her life in Storybrooke, filled with adventures and fun, but it was also filled with chaos and villains. Her life in New York with Henry didn’t have villains. Just pissy landlords who didn’t like late rent and loud noises. But she knew one thing. In her Storybrooke life, she had a _family_. A whole family who loved and cared for her no matter what. She and Henry didn’t have that in New York. They only had each other.

“So, Swan, did you miss me?” Killian smirked.

Emma smiled lightly, a _real_ smile, and Henry came running back up to them.

“Let’s go find a good spot for the fireworks, shall we? I know a rather magical spot that is reserved for cast members only, but I think I can manage to sneak you lot in,” Killian smiled.

They made their way down Main Street USA and Killian guided them into a secret corridor and up a flight of stairs. There was a private balcony that had a perfect view of the castle. The three of them were the only ones there.

“Killian, this is amazing!” Henry exclaimed.

“Aye, lad. I’ve spent many a night up here watching the fireworks. It’s truly quite magical.”

“I need to talk to you,” Emma told Killian.

He nodded gently and guided her back down the stairs into the corridor where they entered, leaving Henry to watch the fireworks on the balcony.

“We didn’t have time to talk about this before Henry got back. What the hell is happening? Why are you all here? How do we get you out?”

“As I said before, when you and Henry left and Regina tried to change the curse, something went wrong, and we ended up here. We’ve been here ever since.”

“Well, our, um,” Emma cleared her throat. “Our _kiss_ might have brought my memories back but I’m fairly certain it didn’t break the curse.”

“Aye, love, I’m sure you’re right,” Killian stepped slightly closer to her. “Perhaps we should discuss what that kiss implies. You know, the whole True Love thing.”

“Hook, I’d really rather not. It’s just – it’s a _lot_ to process and I just really can’t think about it right now. Our main priority is this curse.”

“As you wish.” He smiled softly but Emma could tell that he looked defeated.

“Where are my parents? And Regina, and everyone else?”

“Well, we’re stuck here, so I assume they’re in a breakroom somewhere right now wondering how tonight went.”

“They know? And what do you mean stuck? What’s keeping you here?”

“Aye. When you and I met, I immediately told them and we came up with this plan. And as to how we’ve been trapped, it’s much like after the first curse in Storybrooke. We tested it out. We sent Sleepy across the entrance line to the park and he forgot who he was. Now he believes that he just works here and we’re all strangers to him.”

“Great,” Emma sighed. She pinched the bridge of her nose in her fingers.

“I’m sorry for throwing all of this upon you, Emma. I knew that it would upset you.”

“It’s fine. I’m glad I remember, it’s just a lot. This whole savior thing isn’t exactly a walk in the park.”

“I know, love. It’s a good think you’re so damn strong. I don’t know of anyone else who could do what you do,” Killian told her.

Emma smiled and blushed lightly before making a realization. “What are we gonna do about Henry?”

“As Regina put it, ‘we can deal with Henry later.’ She insisted that we get your memories back first so you could break the curse.”

“Wow, I’m shocked that Regina would want to help me before Henry,” Emma joked.

Killian laughed slightly. “Aye, love, me too. But since we’ve been here, she’s really turned over a new leaf. Obviously back in Storybrooke, she was beginning to change for the better, but here, she’s been a true friend to us.”

Emma smiled. “That’s great. Once Henry gets his memories back, he’ll be so happy to hear that.”

“So what shall we tell him? If you’re planning on staying, what are we going to tell him about you staying here?”

“First of all, obviously I’m staying. Secondly, I can just tell him that I have a case nearby and that we’re staying for a little while. He can come with me on some days, but he can stay in the hotel when he needs to.”

“Speaking of which, I can talk to someone about getting your room taken care of while you’re staying here. I know that the resorts are ridiculously expensive, and I’ll be able to talk to someone about it. Also, we’ll get you the stuff you need to be able to get into the park every day so you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to keep coming here.”

“I-”

“No, Swan, you don’t get to argue with me on this. You won’t change my mind. It’s not hurting me to get you a room for you and your boy, and it’s absurd to expect you to pay for entry to the park every day when you’re helping us.”

“Thank you, Killian.”

He smiled at her and nodded. “Of course, love.”

The pair talked about the arrangements that needed to be made for Emma and Henry before making their way back up to the balcony to watch the rest of the fireworks with Henry.

Emma stood next to her son against the railing and Killian looked at them, smiling. He’d done it. He’d gotten Emma to remember. And along with that, he was her true love. He walked forward to stand next to Emma, who looked up at him and smiled softly.

He felt like he was on top of the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh! True Love's Kiss! Like I said in the beginning, it moved a bit faster than I was planning, but overall, I think it worked out well. 
> 
> I hope you all liked this chapter! Thank you for reading!


	6. Family Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that it took a while to get this chapter out! I started summer classes this week so my schedule's been a little crazy! I'm hoping to update this weekend, but I may not be able to because of my school work! I'll definitely have a new chapter up by next Wednesday, though!
> 
> There are a couple things to address in this chapter, but I don't want to spoil it, so look at the notes at the end to get a better sense of some of the stuff going on!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Emma, Killian, and Henry continued to watch the fireworks all the way to the end. When the fireworks show concluded, the trio decided to wait for a while before Killian walked them to the exit, so the crowds would start to die down.

After about thirty minutes, they began to make their way to the front of the park. When they reached the exit gate, Emma asked Henry to wait for her a little bit ahead so she could talk to Killian.

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Emma asked.

“Aye, love. I think it may be best to leave the lad at the hotel for the day, if that’s alright. I’m sure your family will want to see you and it may get a bit confusing for him.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll leave him at the hotel. I trust him to not get into too much trouble while I’m gone.”

“Well then, Swan, I expect to see you in the morning. If you’ll allow me to get your phone number, you can send me a message when you arrive in the morning and I’ll let you into the park.”

“You have a phone?” she smirked.

“Aye, that I do,” Killian smirked back.

“How did you get one? I thought you couldn’t leave the park?”

“We can’t, but when we were transported here, we were given lockers to store our things, and the phones were located in the lockers when we opened them.”

“So, how does all that work? I have a lot of questions. Where do you all sleep? Did the workers here just like accept the fact that you all came out of nowhere? Do you have extra clothes or do you just wear work clothes all the time?”

“There are bedrooms in the tunnels under the park. I’m not sure if the beds were already here, or if they came with the curse, but they’re here nonetheless. The cast members that worked here at the time of our arrival were affected by the curse just like us. Whatever happened when Regina messed up caused the curse to create new memories for all of the workers. They all think that we’ve been here for a while. And yes, love, we have clothing. The bedrooms were fully equipped when we arrived.”

“This is just insane. How did the curse get so messed up?”

“We’re not sure, love. We think that someone else may have been involved. Another villain perhaps.”

Emma sighed. “Great. Do you have any idea who it is?”

“We have a few ideas. Let’s discuss this tomorrow, Swan. With your family. We’ll get this all worked out. For now, could I get that number?”

“Yeah, of course.” Emma put her hand out to take Killian’s phone, entering her number into it.

“There you go, it’s in there. I’ll see you tomorrow, Killian,” Emma smiled.

“Aye, love. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Emma smiled once more before turning away. She met up with Henry and the pair continued on to the monorail, and eventually reached their hotel.

When they arrived in their hotel room, Emma decided to talk to Henry about them staying in Orlando for the indefinite future.

“Kid, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“What’s up?”

“I should’ve told you this earlier, but I actually picked up a case here in Orlando. My boss heard that we were here and he asked me if I could pick up the case since I was already down here.”

“Mom, that’s great!” Henry exclaimed. “That means we get to stay here for a while, right?”

“Yeah, kid It does. Plus, the client works for Disney, so we’ll be able to get into the parks for free for as long as we’re here.”

“Awesome!”

Emma hated lying to him, but she knew that she had to do it to protect him.

“This does come with a bit of bad news, though. Some days when I’m chasing any leads, you’re gonna have to stay in the hotel. I am _trusting_ you to be good and not get into any trouble while I’m gone.”

“I get it, it’s your job. I’ll behave, I promise.”

“Thanks, kid,” Emma said, ruffling her son’s hair lightly with her hand. “Tomorrow is actually the first day I’ll be going after a lead, so you’ll be alone here. I know we were gonna go to Animal Kingdom again tomorrow, but we’ll go another day, yeah?”

“Yeah, that’s ok,” Henry smiled.

“Have I ever told you that you’re my favorite kid?”

“I’m your only kid,” Henry laughed.

Emma laughed with him and they discussed their plan for the next day. Emma would leave at around 7:15 and would return late in the night. She’d leave Henry to order room service for the day and gave him a strict budget so he wouldn’t overspend on his food.

After they’d finished planning, Emma told Henry that she was heading to bed early, as she had a busy day ahead of her.

The next morning, Emma woke up early to get ready for the day. She knew she shouldn’t be as nervous as she was. It’s not like she was meeting these people for the first time. She’d known them for years. However, it had been over two years since she’d last seen them, and she wasn’t sure how they were going to react to her return. Nevertheless, she shook these thoughts from her mind and continued to get ready. After putting on a light layer of makeup, fixing her hair, and getting dressed, she was ready to leave.

Henry was still very asleep so Emma left him a note on his bedside table telling him she’d be back later.

After writing the note, she grabbed her bag and headed to the lobby. She called a cab and it was waiting for her by the time she’d reached the parking lot. She climbed in and the driver began to drive to the Magic Kingdom.

Once she arrived, she sent Killian a text to let him know that she had arrived. He quickly responded and told her that he’d be there shortly to let her in.

About five minutes later, Emma saw Killian standing at the cast member entrance to the park, waving for her to join him. She approached him and he gave her a light smile.

“Good morning, love.”

“Good morning, Hook,” she smiled back. “You’re sure you won’t get in trouble for letting me in?”

“I assure you, Swan, it’s no problem.”

Killian opened the gate from the inside to allow Emma to enter. The pair then started to make their way down Main Street.

Killian gestured to a large gate and informed Emma, “This is one of the entrances to the tunnels, which is where your family is currently waiting.”

Emma took a deep breath in and out, nodding her head. “Ok.”

“Are you ok, love?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Just pretty nervous. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen everyone, but I’m ready,” Emma smiled.

“Well then, Swan, your family awaits.” Killian opened the gate and allowed Emma to enter first. They quickly made their way to the entrance of the tunnel, Emma following closely behind Killian.

They entered the tunnel and walked for about five minutes before Killian stopped. “Alright, love, this is our breakroom. You’re sure you’re ready?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Killian nodded and opened the door to the breakroom. The first people that Emma saw were her parents. She couldn’t deny that it took a lot for her not to burst into tears.

“Mom, Dad,” Emma sighed.

Snow immediately started crying and ran to collect her daughter into her arms. “Emma,” she breathed. “We missed you so much.”

Charming followed behind his wife, hugging Snow and Emma tightly, softly cradling Emma’s head.

“I missed you guys, too,” Emma admitted. “I didn’t know that you were _you_ until last night, but I’ve missed you my whole life.” She freely let the tears fall as she embraced her parents.

Snow and Charming pulled away softly as Regina approached Emma. “Hello, Miss Swan,” she smiled.

“Hey, Regina. I know I just saw you yesterday, but still.” Emma walked up to the queen and embraced her in a hug. “Thank you for letting me give Henry his best chance. You didn’t have to save everyone and let me go with Henry.”

Regina smiled softly and hugged Emma back. “It was the right thing to do.”

Emma pulled away and smiled at her before looking around the room, taking everyone in. Not everyone that she’d known in Storybrooke was there, but she saw many familiar faces, as well as some new ones.

A man that Emma had never met approached her, offering his hand. “Hello, milady. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Um, yeah, you too. I’m really sorry, but who are you?”

“I’m Robin of Locksley, but most people have taken to call me Robin Hood,” he grinned.

“Oh, ok. It’s very nice to meet you, Robin. Were you ever in Storybrooke?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Then how are you here?”

Regina turned to Emma and explained, “When the curse messed up, somehow people from the Enchanted Forest ended up here too.”

“What? How?” Emma asked.

“We have no idea,” Snow interjected.

Charming piped in, “We think there’s a new villain. We just don’t know who it is yet.”

“Big news!” Leroy exclaimed as he burst into the breakroom.

“Can’t say I missed that,” Emma sighed. Killian laughed lightly.

“You’re back?” Leroy asked in shock.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Was anyone gonna tell me that?”

Killian rolled his eyes and asked, “What’s your big news, Grumpy?”

“I just heard that a guest had a scary and strange encounter with a man, and he was asked by security to leave the park.”

“Ok, how is that big news?” Regina questioned.

“Well, if you’d let me finish, I’d tell you,” Leroy jabbed. Regina looked at Emma with wide eyes and Emma laughed before Leroy continued. “Anyway, when they asked him to leave, the guy started freaking out. He said that he couldn’t leave the park because he didn’t want to forget who he was. He rambled on about stopping someone. The last thing he said before they took him away was that he had to find a way to get back to Storybrooke.”

“What?” Emma asked sharply. “Did he leave the park?”

“No. Before they could get him to leave, Irving came up and said that he didn’t need to be escorted out of the park because she would take care of him. Since she’s in a place of high power, they listened to her and let the guy go. When the incident first happened, they didn’t know where he was, so they had the guest describe him for a police sketch. I managed to snap a picture of it and you’re not gonna believe it.”

Leroy pulled out his phone and showed it to the heroes. Snow audibly gasped as the phone was passed around. The police sketch depicted a very tired, crazy, and scruffy-looking Rumplestiltskin.

“Oh my God,” Regina gasped. “He’s alive.”

“You bet your ass he is,” Leroy responded.

“But how? We all saw him die,” Emma said.

“There’s definitely more going on than we know,” Charming claimed. “We need to figure out who’s doing this. Who made us come here? And who raised Rumple from the grave?”

There was a knock on the door, and a bright ginger-haired woman entered. She wore all black with a small hat, her white nametag standing out amongst her dark clothing, and a large green pendant hanging around her neck.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, am I interrupting a meeting?” the woman asked. Her voice was lined with a thick British accent.

“Um, no, ma’am you’re not interrupting,” Snow smiled.

“Oh, wonderful. Well, I was just coming to address an issue in the park today. I’m sure you’ve all heard, but there was a slight disturbance today. A man approached a woman and just made her feel very uncomfortable. I just wanted you all to know that the situation is under control and there is nothing to worry about,” the woman smiled.

“Oh, alright. Thank you, Ms. Irving,” Charming smiled.

“Of course, dear, it’s no problem. I just wanted to ensure you that everything was under control.” As the woman – now known as Ms. Irving – turned to leave, she locked eyes with Emma. “Well hello, there. I don’t believe we’ve ever met. I’m Zelena Irving. I’m not exactly the ‘ruler’ of this park, but I am in charge of most things that go into making sure that this park runs to the best of its ability.”

“Hello,” Emma smiled curtly.

“I hate to be a stick in the mud, but are you authorized to be in this part of the park?” Zelena asked.

Regina, Snow Charming, and Hook all looked to Emma with fear in their eyes, not knowing what to do.

Snow quickly uttered, “Yes, ma’am, she’s authorized to be here. She’s a new worker at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and we were just showing her the breakroom.”

“Oh, alright. Carry on then. I’ll be leaving now,” Zelena smiled.

Zelena exited and everyone let out the breaths that they had been holding in since she’d entered. 

“Is she one of you guys?” Emma asked.

“We don’t think so, love,” Killian told her.

“Yeah, she’s just another random person who works here,” Regina explained.

“Ah, gotcha.”

“Emma, can I talk to you for a second?” Snow asked.

“Yeah, of course,” Emma smiled.

The mother and daughter walked out into the hall to talk.

“What’s up?” Emma asked.

“I know that you probably don’t want to talk about this, but you need to. True Love’s Kiss worked, Emma.”

“You’re right. I don’t want to talk about it.” Emma tried to walk back into the breakroom, but Snow grabbed her arm before she could open the door.

“I know you don’t want to address it, but all I’m saying is that you need to think about it. Hook has turned into a really great guy over the past couple of years, and as much as you want to deny it, it’s confirmed that he’s your true love.”

“It’s just so complicated, Mom. With him and with Henry and breaking this curse.” As Emma was talking she had a sudden realization. “Wait. Is Neal here?”

“Yes, but also no.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well he’s not in the Magic Kingdom, but he’s in another park. We know that for a fact.”

“How?”

“Because we’ve talked to him on the phone. When we all got here, he found a way to get our number and call us.”

“Ok, so that adds to the complication,” Emma sighed.

“Hey, Emma. It’s gonna be ok. You’ll make it through this. It’s complicated and kinda awkward, but it’ll work itself out,” Snow smiled.

Meanwhile, as Snow and Emma were talking in the hallway, Regina, Robin, Killian, and Charming were discussing their next steps.

“So, now that Emma remembers, how do we get Henry’s memories back?” Charming asked.

“I’m not sure. If Rumple is really alive, we might be able to get him to help us make a potion,” Regina said.

“And what if the crocodile won’t help us?” Killian asked.

“We’ll just have to figure something out.”

“The book,” Charming offered.

“What about it?” Regina asked confusedly.

“During the first curse, Emma touched the book right when she started to believe and she saw that the curse was real. So, we just need to find the book, get Henry to believe, and get him to touch it.”

“And you’re sure that’ll work?” Robin asked.

“I’m not 100% positive, but we at least have to try.”

“Alrighty then, I guess we better start looking,” Regina smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so there are two things to address in this chapter.
> 
> 1\. I chose Irving as Zelena's last name because it is of English/Scottish heritage, and it means "Green River," which I found really fitting. My original choice was Greene, but I think that would've been a little too on the nose!
> 
> 2\. I'm sure all of you know this, but the tunnels under the park are actually real. There are a lot of videos and articles about the tunnels, but they're basically so that characters can get around more quickly and easily. Also, Walt Disney thought that seeing a Fantasyland character in Tomorrowland would ruin the magic, so that's another big reason the tunnels are there! I just wanted to address that so nobody would think I made it up!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope that you're all staying safe and healthy!


	7. Conversations of Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! I'm so, so sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out. My life has been utter chaos for the last few weeks. I'm taking 3 summer classes -- which doesn't sound like a lot, but trust me, it is -- and I've been quite literally drowning in work. Because of that, it took me a long while to get this chapter done, and it is definitely not my longest chapter. I do apologize for it being rather short, but I do really like the chapter as a whole, and I hope you do too!

Emma and Snow walked back into the break room and Regina quickly approached the pair.

“Have either of you seen the book?” she questioned.

“The storybook?” Emma asked. Regina nodded. “No, I’m sorry, I haven’t. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Henry hasn’t. His room is messy most of the time and God knows what’s hiding in there.”

“Snow, have you seen it?”

“No, I haven’t, I’m sorry. But why are we all of a sudden starting to look for it?”

“We think that maybe Henry can touch it and get his memories back. During the first curse, Emma touched the book as she finally started to believe and it completed her belief and made her able to break the curse,” Regina explained.

“Yeah, when I touched it, it felt really similar to how it feels when you drink a remembering potion. I saw flashes of memories, but they weren’t mine. I saw different moments of the Enchanted Forest. So, yeah, that should work to bring his memories back.”

“Great, so let’s start looking,” Regina instructed.

Killian, David, and Robin approached the group as they began to discuss where they could start looking for the book.

“We should hit the main places in the park. The rooms in the castle, some of the more popular rides, popular eating spots,” Robin offered.

“Honestly, mate, I may disagree with you on that one. I think that the book would be somewhere less traveled. It would prevent a random person from stumbling upon it,” Killian rebutted.

“Aye, I suppose your right, mate.”

“I agree with Hook. We should hit the less populated areas,” Charming agreed.

“Wonderful, let’s compile a list of places we should look. Any suggestions?” Killian asked the group.

“The Barnstormer and Country Bear Jamboree are probably two of the most unpopulated attractions,” Snow offered.

“Not many people go to Mickey’s PhilharMagic,” Regina pointed out.

“The Carousel of Progress is also quite underpopulated,” Killian said.

“Oh, yeah, and the Tiki Room,” Charming added.

“Ok, I think we have a pretty good list here. We’ll start with these places and when I get back to the hotel, I can ask Henry if he’s seen it,” Emma promised.

“Ok, what are we gonna do if it’s in New York?” Regina questioned.

“I can get a friend to go to my apartment and ship it here. That won’t be a problem.”

“Well then, let’s get started with what we have,” Snow smiled.

“Oh, also, Emma, can I talk to you for a moment?” Regina asked.

“Yeah, of course.” Emma smiled at her parents as they exited in the room, promising to catch up later.

“I got you a Cast Member badge so that you can get in without needing one of us to let you in,” Regina smiled as she handed Emma the badge.

“Oh, awesome, thank you!”

“Also, I wanted to talk to you about Hook,” Regina mentioned carefully.

Emma rolled her eyes and huffed her breath. “Look, Regina, I appreciate your concern, but I really don’t want to talk about it. I didn’t even want to talk to my own mother about it.”

“I know, Emma, I just really need to say something. Please hear me out.”

Emma released a deep sigh. “Ok, fine.”

“I really think that you need to address this. Accepting your feelings for Hook could be the first step toward your happy ending.”

“My happy ending isn’t dependent on a man,” Emma defended.

“Of course not. But love is a part of all happiness, and you have to be open to that. Go to Hook. All you have to do is tell him how you feel.”

“Oh, is that all? I don’t think you understand how difficult that can be. Even when I already know that he feels the same.”

“What does your heart tell you?”

“I know what my heart says, but that doesn’t make it easier. I’m just – I’m scared.”

Regina scoffed. “What could possibly be so scary about it? Hook is crazy about you.”

“I’m scared that somehow admitting it will make it real, and it’ll change everything. I’m not a huge fan of change.”

Regina laughed. “Yeah, I’ve definitely noticed that about you in the time I’ve known you.”  
Emma laughed along with her and took a deep breath. “It’s just scary.”

“I know it is, Emma, but let me tell you something. I’m not sure if you know this already, but Robin and I have been together for about a year and a half of this two-year curse.”

Emma smiled, “I wasn’t completely sure, but I had a feeling.”

Regina laughed. “I feel like I’m finally on my way to being truly happy. Every single moment that I spend with him feels like the first moment we admitted our feelings. There’s just this overwhelming feeling of peace and happiness and adrenaline. It’s so amazing.”

“That’s great, Regina, I’m so happy for you,” Emma smiled.

“I want you to be able to have the same thing, Emma. Robin and I are so in love, and I love every second of it. In the beginning, it was terrifying. I was so scared to tell him how I felt. He was in this brand-new land, and he saw me as the Evil Queen. I knew from the moment I saw him that he was my future. It also just so happens that Tinker Bell confirmed that he’s my soulmate. But I didn’t need her to know that. The way that I feel around him proves that I’m destined to spend the rest of my life with him. But in the beginning, it was so damn scary. In the end, the risk was _so_ worth it. Isn’t that a risk you’re willing to take?”

“I just don’t know. I do have feelings for Killian. I really do, and it scares the hell out of me, but there are just so many things stopping me from expressing my feelings.”

“Like what?”  
“Henry and Neal, I’m so scared that Henry will hate me if I don’t get together with his dad because all he wants is for us to be a family.”

“Emma, Henry could _never_ hate you. All he wants is your happiness. And you can still be a family, even if you and Neal aren’t together romantically.”

“But it would just make it so complicated, and True Love is just – it’s a lot to handle, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. But it’s so worth it.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it is, but it’s just too much. On top of that, I know how much Killian cares about me. I feel like he thinks that I hung the moon in the sky. That scares the hell out of me, too. I’m scared that if we get together, I’ll disappoint him because I’m not all he thought I was.”

“You’re right, he does think you hung the moon. But he would never be disappointed by you. That man kissed you _once_ and he decided that he was gonna devote his life to winning your heart, the _right_ way.”

“That’s why I’m so scared that I’ll somehow let him down.”

“You won’t let him down, Emma. I’m sure of that. But, in the end, it’s your choice. I just hope that you’ll make the right one. I just want you to be happy, Emma.”

“Thank you, Regina. I mean it,” Emma smiled. “I’ll think on it tonight, ok?”

“Ok. I’m sorry if I pressured you or made you feel uncomfortable. I really just want you to be happy.”

“You didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. I appreciate it. Thank you,” Emma smiled.

Regina gave Emma a quick hug before the pair hurried to catch up with Snow, Charming, and Hook.

While Emma and Regina were talking, Hook and Charming were having a conversation of their own.

“So, Hook, now that we know that you and Emma are true love, I think it’s time you and I have a little talk about your intentions with my daughter.”

“Whatever we become, it’s up to her as much as me.”

Charming smiled at Hook and gave him a slight nod. “I appreciate that. You’ve done one of the hardest things a person can do, Hook.”

“Aye, and what’s that?”  
“You’ve changed.”

“That I have. Thank you, David.”

“Just please don’t hurt her. She portrays herself as indestructible, but I know that behind that armor, her heart has seen a lot of pain.”

“I don’t intend to hurt her. That I can promise,” Hook smiled.

“So, what now? You gonna make a move?” Charming smirked, nudging Hook’s arm.

Hook smiled lightly. “I think I’ll wait a while for now. Emma’s got a lot on her plate and I want to make sure she’s comfortable. The last thing she needs right now is more complication, and I wager that she and I are about as complicated as it gets.”

David laughed and nodded. “Yeah, I can’t say that I disagree with you there. But in all seriousness, she’ll appreciate you waiting. It’ll show her how much you truly care about her.”

“Aye, mate, I hope so.”

Hook turned around and smiled as Emma and Regina caught up with the group.

“So, let’s go find that book, shall we?” Regina smiled.

And with that, Hook, Charming, Snow, Emma, Regina, and Robin set out to hit their first list of locations, deeply hoping that they would find the book and be able to restore Henry’s lost memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> My goal is to have the next chapter out before June 15, but it's honestly really dependent on how much coursework I have for uni. 
> 
> To those who were so kind and understanding about my lack of updates, thank you so much. It means the world to me that you're enjoying my story, and your kind words mean so much to me.
> 
> I know I don't know you personally, but I love each and every one of you who reads this!


	8. Book Hunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I actually decided that I felt really bad about not posting for so long, and I was feeling really motivated tonight, so I managed to write another chapter! This chapter is the longest so far, so I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> I'm still sticking to my statement that I hope to have another chapter up by the 15th, but this is just an apology for making you all wait so long.
> 
> I can honestly say that this is my favorite chapter so far, so I hope you all like it as much as I do!

“I think our best chance is to split up,” Emma offered. “We can each cover a couple locations and it’ll be a lot faster if we split up into pairs.”

“I agree,” Regina chimed in.

“Great, ok. Mom and Dad, you take Mickey’s PhilharMagic and The Barnstormer. Regina and Robin, you take the Tiki Room and Country Bear Jamboree. Hook and I will cover the Carousel of Progress and any places we think of along the way.”

“I actually thought of another place we should look,” Snow said. “Barely anyone ever goes into Cinderella’s suite inside the castle. And there are a lot of hiding places that the book could be in.”

Regina gasped. “You’re right. That’s the perfect place to hide it.”

“Alright, Emma and I can go there as well, since we only have one location currently,” Killian offered.

“Perfect,” Regina smiled. “If anyone finds anything, text or call us immediately. Let’s find this book and get Henry’s memories back.”

The group split up in separate directions, all ready to conquer their separate locations.

“In order to gain access to Cinderella’s suite, I’ll need to reach out to someone to get in,” Killian informed Emma.

“Alright. What do we need to do that?”

“I’ll just text the person in charge of that and he should respond within the next half hour or so.”

“Ok, perfect. We’ll hit the Carousel of Progress in the meantime. Are we just gonna ride it and pay really close attention or what?”

“We can try to claim that you’re a mechanic checking on the riggings and they’ll be able to shut the ride down for a while for us to check it. They’ll most likely believe you as I’m a cast member.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Emma smiled.

Killian smiled in return as the pair made their way to Tomorrowland. They entered the ride through the cast member entrance, and Killian approached the ride operator.

“Hey, Starkey,” Killian smiled, smacking the man on the back.

“Ahoy, captain, how are ya?” the man quipped back.

“I’m grand, but it’s time to check that the old machine is running smoothly. This is um – Leia. She’s the mechanic that’ll be checking today.”

“Oh, alright. It’s nice to meet ya, Leia,” the man smiled brightly, extending his hand for Emma to shake.

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Emma smiled in response.

“Just let me get this round of people out and I’ll shut down the ride for ya to look at it.”

Emma and Killian waited to the side as Starkey continued to operate the last wave of the ride.

“Leia?” Emma smirked.

“Aye, I came up with it on a whim,” Killian laughed.

“So, is he from the Enchanted Forest?”

“Aye, he was a crewman on the Roger with me for many years.”

“Does he not have his memories? Why did we have to lie?”

“No, he has his memories. But he doesn’t know that you’re the savior, and we’re trying not to alert the whole kingdom, as it would probably cause mass chaos.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Alright, Miss Leia, she’s all yours,” Starkey smiled.

“Thank you,” Emma smiled back. “If it’s ok, I’ll take Killian here with me. I may need some help.”

“Aye, that’s no problem, ma’am.”

Emma and Killian made their way into the ride, starting to look for the storybook.

The pair searched high and low, leaving no stone unturned in their search. The Carousel of Progress had several stages on which the “ride” takes place, and they covered each and every one of them. Alas, there was no sign of the book anywhere in the attraction.

“Alright, I don’t think we’re gonna find anything here. Has that guy texted you back about the suite?” Emma asked.

“Aye, he has. I need to stop by his office to pick up the key and he’ll let us go in.”

“Just like that? He doesn’t need an explanation or anything?”

“I told him that I’d never seen the room and he insisted that I see it at once. He’s a real people pleaser.”

Emma laughed lightly. “Well alrighty then, where’s his office?”

“It’s in the tunnels near the breakroom. I don’t want him to be suspicious of you, so you can go wait for me under the castle and I shouldn’t be more than 10-15 minutes.”

“Ok, yeah I’ll wait.”

Killian left Emma with a smile and made his way to his colleague’s office to collect the key to the room.

Emma, in the meantime, waited under the castle for Killian to meet back up with her.

About ten minutes after they had separated, Emma saw Killian walking toward her, keycard in hand.

They entered the castle, using the keycard to access Cinderella’s suite.

Emma’s jaw dropped as she entered the room. “This place is insane. How much does it cost to stay here?” she gaped.

Killian laughed. “Usually the only people who stay here are people who’ve won a contest. That’s why it’s not very commonly visited.”

“Which makes it a great place for the book to be hidden.”

“Exactly.”

“Well then, let’s get to looking.”

The pair once again looked high and low for the book. They looked under all of the beds, sofas, and chairs. They checked behind every painting and mirror; in every closet, every nook, and every cranny. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful in their attempts.

Emma plopped on the bed with a huff.

“It’s alright, Swan, we’ll find it.”

“Will we?”

“Aye, we will,” Killian assured, sitting down next to her on the bed. “I’ve yet to see you fail.”

Emma looked up into his eyes and smiled softly.

“We should talk,” she said.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to, love.”

“I know, but I just – I need you to know something.”

“Aye? And what’s that?” Killian asked, turning slightly on the bed to look into Emma’s eyes.

“I want you to know that I do have feelings for you,” Emma admitted, bowing her head to avoid eye contact.

Killian’s eyes widened in shock. He never thought it’d be that easy to get that out of her. “Oh.”

“There’s just a lot of stuff in the way right now. I don’t want you to think that I don’t… want something. It’s just too much right now.”

“I understand, Emma. I do. I wasn’t planning on making a move any time soon because I know that you have a lot on your plate right now. I don’t want you to be overwhelmed. We can take this as fast or as slow as you’d like.”

“Thank you, Killian. That means a lot to me that you’d wait for me,” Emma smiled.

“I’d go to the ends of the earth for you, Emma. I want you to know that.”

Emma smiled, leaning up to press a firm kiss on his scruffy cheek.

“If you ever need to talk through anything, I’m always here for you. You know that, right?” Killian asked.

“Yeah, I do,” Emma smiled. “There’s just so much going on right now. I hate lying to Henry, and this whole trip is literally just one massive lie. And I know that you probably don’t want to discuss Neal, but he’s really stressing me out too.”

Killian nodded slightly, avoiding eye contact and taking a deep breath.

Emma placed her hand lightly on his arm. “Hey,” she said. Killian looked into her eyes. “I meant what I said. I do have feelings for you. But you need to understand that I have feelings for Neal, too. He’s Henry’s dad and he is a huge part of my life. My feelings for him are – different, but he will _always_ be a part of my life.”

“I understand that, Emma. I just don’t wish to put you in a hard place with him.”

Emma sighed. “You both once asked me to choose between the two of you, and I chose Henry. I won’t lie, I will always choose Henry. But that does not mean that my feelings for you are lesser because of it. Henry is my _son_ and it is my job as his mother to always choose what is best for him.”

Killian scoffed bitterly. “Aye, and I suppose that’s Neal?”

“No, it’s whoever would make me happier.”

“And is that me?”

“Yeah, I think it is,” Emma smiled. “As much as I love Neal, he’s screwed me over so many times in the past. Like I said, he’ll always be a part of my life, and he’ll always be a part of Henry’s, but that doesn’t mean that the two of us need to be _together_.”

“So what I’m hearing is that you choose me,” Killian smirked.

“Yeah, ok, whatever helps you sleep at night, buddy,” Emma smirked back.

Emma looked up into Killian’s eyes, licking her lips slightly. Killian began to lean in, and Emma was definitely not about to lean away. The pair leaned into one another, and just as their lips were about to touch –

“Oop, sorry! I didn’t know anyone was in here!” a maid exclaimed as she burst into the room.

Emma and Killian quickly jerked away from each other, Emma blushing fiercely.

“It’s alright,” Emma smiled.

“Well, there’s a new family checking in in a few hours, so I’m here to clean the suite,” the maid explained.

“Oh, ok. I’m just checking on the lights in the bathroom. I got a call saying the LEDs were acting up and I wanted to get that fixed before the next family checked in,” Emma offered.

“Oh, of course! I’ll be waiting downstairs for you to finish.”

“Great, I shouldn’t be more than a few minutes.”

The maid left the room swiftly, and Emma quickly stood up off of the bed.

“We should, um, probably meet back up with the others,” she said awkwardly.

“Yeah, I suppose we should,” Killian smiled sadly.

As they exited the room, Killian bumped haphazardly into a glass case holding a glass slipper. When he bumped into it, it shifted slightly, revealing a secret compartment behind the slipper.

“Oh my God, did you break it?” Emma whisper-yelled.

“I don’t bloody know! All I did was bump it!” Killian whispered back.

“Wait, there’s a door behind it.”

Killian pushed the case out of the way gently, revealing a small compartment.

“It has a lock,” Emma said sadly.

“It’s a tiny lock at that,” Killian interjected. “That key would have to be minuscule.”

“There’s no way,” Emma hesitated.

“What?” Killian asked.

Emma reached into her shirt and pulled out a small key necklace. “Mary Margaret gave this to me after we came back from the Enchanted Forest. She was wearing it when we were there. She said that David gave it to her as a gift when they were having an affair. She told me it symbolized hope, and that things could always get better,” she smiled.

“Try the key, love. See if it works.”

Emma took a deep breath and pushed the key into the lock, turning it slowly. “It works!”

“Bloody hell!”

Emma reached up and opened the compartment, revealing the storybook, sitting on an easel.

“You bloody did it, Swan!” Killian exclaimed.

Emma laughed wholeheartedly, joyfully. “We need to tell everyone!”

“Aye, love, we do, but I suspect that we need to leave this room first, or our dear maid may lose her mind,” Killian laughed.

The pair left the room, sprits as high as they could be. Emma sent a text to their group chat.

**_Emma:_ ** _We found the book! It was in the suite! We’re heading back to the breakroom now. I vote we lock it up in a locker and grab some dinner._

**_Snow:_ ** _That’s amazing! David and I will meet you in the breakroom. Dinner sounds great!_

**_Regina_ ** _: Robin and I are on our way there now. We’d love to do dinner!_

Killian and Emma quickly made their way to the breakroom, excited to show the group the book.

“I knew you’d be able to find it, Emma!” Snow exclaimed.

“Thanks, mom,” Emma smiled. “Now, let’s get some dinner. I’m starving.”

“Casey’s Corner?” Regina offered. “It’s on me. We can go have a picnic on the grass.”

“That sounds great!” Snow smiled.

Killian unlocked his locker, and Emma watched as he placed the book securely inside. They smiled at each other before leaving with the others for dinner.

The group made their way to Main Street, grabbing their hot dogs and sitting on the greens in front of the castle. They all had a great time eating dinner together. It felt like a reunion at Granny’s, only they weren’t exactly at Granny’s. The group caught up, made jokes, and just enjoyed each other’s presence.

After they’d finished eating, they headed back to the breakroom.

“I should probably get going. I told Henry I’d be back late, but I just feel bad leaving him alone in the room all day,” Emma informed the group.

“Alright, sweetie. We’ll see you tomorrow, right?” Snow asked.

“Yup. Bright and early,” Emma smiled back.

“Don’t forget the book, love. Are you going to try tonight to bring back his memories?” Killian asked.

“Yeah, I’ll at least try.”

Killian nodded and walked over to his locker, unlocking the padlock and opening the locker.

“What the hell?” he gaped.

“What is it?” Regina asked, panicked.

“The bloody book is gone!” Killian exclaimed.

“Gone?!” David yelled.

“Aye, mate, gone.”

“How?” Emma asked, shocked. “I watched you put it in there! Does anyone else have a key?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Who the hell would do this?” Robin asked.

Zelena entered the basement under Tom Sawyer Island, storybook in hand.

“I got the bloody book,” she scoffed.

“Ah, did you?” Rumplestiltskin asked from his cage.

“I did. Those naïve heroes hid it in Hook’s locker. Please, it was just too easy.”

“Why exactly do you need the book?”

“Because I know how to break the curse. Henry must regain his memories and share True Love’s Kiss with his adoptive mother. But if he doesn’t have his memories, he can’t exactly share True Love’s Kiss with a woman he’s never met, now can he?”

“I suppose you’re right there. You really think that you’ll succeed in your desires?”

“I know that I’ll succeed, Dark One. I will go back in time and erase my sister from existence. She’s been a thorn in my side since before she was even born!”

“I could say the same thing about you, Dearie.”

“Oh, shut up, Rumple. You’ll see. You’ll all see! I _will_ succeed. I will get _everything_ I never had!”

“There’s no need to get upset, Zelena. Envy’s a nasty thing,” Rumple smirked.

“Don’t make me regret raising you from the dead, Dark One. I didn’t have to make that poor man give his life to raise you.”

“Oh please,” Rumple laughed. “He was a thug. He spent his days wallowing in beer and rum at the Cuddly Duckling Tavern. His life was _useless_.”

“Tsk, tsk. You don’t know that. Perhaps he had a lifelong dream of becoming a florist or something miserable like that,” Zelena laughed.

“Well, then, it looks like we saved him from a dreadful existence,” Rumple quipped. “How exactly are you planning on getting your… materials for this spell?”

“I have my ways. Don’t you worry your pretty little head.” Zelena approached his cage, using Rumple’s dagger to push a stray hair from his face. “I will go back in time and make sure my mother keeps me. Regina will have never been born, and you’ll pick me to cast your curse. I will _finally_ have the life I deserve!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked it!
> 
> I actually included a couple of surprises in this chapter! I may keep doing it in the future! I included 2 easter eggs to two Disney movies somewhere in the chapter! One is definitely more obvious, but the other may be a little harder to find!
> 
> Let me know in the comments if you could find both!
> 
> There's also a couple nods to some stuff from OUAT. Specifically Emma's key necklace. The necklace is actually one that Mary Margaret wore in season 2 when she and Emma were trapped in the Enchanted Forest! If you look it up, you'll find a picture of her wearing it!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	9. update

Hi, everyone. I am well aware that I am kinda the worst for not posting anything until right now, and I am so sorry for that. After I posted the last chapter, my life got absolutely insane, and I found myself having absolutely no free time at all to sit down and write. I probably could've posted a couple of lousy chapters, but I didn't want to write and post something that I didn't love. That being said, I'm so sorry that it's taken me this long to get back to you all. I'm currently writing the next chapter and I hope to have it up soon. However, I move back into uni on Friday of this week, so the chapters may slow down again, as I'll be working a part-time job while also being a full-time student. I'm going to try my best to keep updating once I'm in school, but please be patient with me. This story is one of my absolute favourite things that I have ever written, and I want to do it properly, not just write a lousy chapter just to meet a deadline.

Again, I'm so sorry for basically dropping off the face of the Earth, but I am back now and I hope to have some great updates for all of you soon!


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